A Fresno electrician is now facing felony charges for stealing hundreds of pounds of copper wire from his workplace.

Fresno County deputies say 32-year-old Richardo Avila stole nearly 650 pound of copper wire from his company for about a year before he was arrested. Detectives uncovered large coils of new wire he had stored in his backyard. They say he was taking the metal to a local recycler.

"That to us is a red flag when people are bringing perfectly fine copper wire to recycle it," said Sgt. Ryan Hushaw.

Investigators say Avila bailed out of the county jail. His first court date is set for February 4.